Saltines
by Scintazzle
Summary: Each time she took the entrance exams, he saw she had crackers in her hands. When he asked her for one, she laughed in his face. And then she ran away. Nejiten, AU. Two shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, another one shot for no reason whatsoever. :)**

**Neji is depicted as an introverted awkward child. **

**My fave.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

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><p>Neji had seen the girl with the saltine crackers many times. She must have bought into the idea that eating the salty snacks before an exam would boost her mind. He, on the other hand, dismissed it as a silly myth.<p>

It always seemed like she was taking the same exams as he was, on the same day, at the same place. And they were constantly in the same room, next to each other, besides each other, in front or in back, diagonal, and occasionally, separated by two seats. Not that he minded it—she had become such a familiar face that it was like he actually had a companion in the boring testing center.

Well, she _would_ be a companion if a single word passed between them.

For all the times that he saw her, he never said a thing to her.

The girl with the crackers remained a familiar stranger.

He sure knew that _she _existed. But whether or not she knew he existed was another matter entirely.

But it would be okay if she didn't know him.

It really wasn't a big deal.

He surely didn't care.

It was absolutely fine with him if after each test, they parted ways without ever greeting each other.

Neji sighed and rubbed his temples.

He was only lying to himself.

If she didn't step up, he would.

oOo

There were moments when he wondered if she was even _semi-intelligent._ She got lost during break once when trying to find the bathroom. Another time, she brought her mother's ID instead of her own. And she would always ask the same question before the exam started:

"So I'm not allowed to use anything other than 2B pencils? Not even if it's mechanical and the lead is the exact same?"

And she was always treated with the same answer. "Yes. That is correct."

And she would huff and resign, and pull out the pencils she had prepared _just in case_, stuffing one last cracker in her mouth.

The testing would begin.

It would end.

And still, they would remain strangers.

_But not this time,_ Neji swore. He would ask her. He would casually talk to her like all the other teenage boys did. And she would smile, and introduce herself. And then he would do the same, and they would finally be in contact.

He entered the classroom. She was the only one there. Neji pushed down his anxiety and took out his things, pretending to study for a moment. Her saltines were already out and ready: a larger pack this time, filled with one hundred.

His courage failed him and he turned back to his calculator. Perhaps later. After the first half was done. Then there would be adequate room for discussion of problems. Yes, that was the way to do it.

The first part of the test ended and the test-takers filed out for break. The girl did too, bringing her pack of crackers with her. How she managed to eat so many without drinking water was unfathomable.

Neji cleared his throat, feeling his confidence wavering. But today was the day.

"I see you always have that as a snack."

She looked at him.

Neji mentally slapped himself. No, no…he was supposed to ask about the test first.

"I do. They taste really good."

Now here was room for improvement.

"Really? May I have one?"

Oh, maybe that was a little too forward.

She was looking at him.

He tried not to let his gaze waver.

Her eyes were really large…

She stared at Neji for a second longer, and then laughed in his face—a loud, bright sound, like she was making fun of him. Startled, he took a step back. The girl proceeded to turn on her heels and sprint down the hallway, taking her crackers with her, leaving him behind in the dust.

His mouth was parted in astonishment.

Was he…did he just get rejected?

Well, that was sure to damper his performance on the second half.

Sulking at his failure, Neji refused to talk for the remainder of the test. The girl did come back, but he didn't want to make eye contact with her.

The test ended without another word.

She killed off his attempt at a conversation with no remorse whatsoever.

So there was no point in trying anymore.

oOo

The next time he saw her was before finals. Like always, the crackers were with her. They met in the classroom, as both were constantly early for the exams. She looked at him, but he turned away.

She wouldn't want to speak to him anyways.

He sat down, the metal seat feeling colder than usual, letting a frown find its way onto his features. Well, it wasn't his fault, he tried to convince himself. He had put in the necessary effort, and she…

Neji took a deep breath.

…She didn't want to associate with him.

Which was fine.

He took out his pencils and books and started to do some last minute cramming.

Someone cleared her throat behind him.

He paid it no attention.

It came again, louder this time. "Aghrmff."

He ignored it once more.

Finally, it turned into a full blown cough-fest, full of throat-tearing hacking and retching.

Was she sick?

He tried not to be worried, and said in a cold voice: "You should get some water or something."

"So you finally talked again!" she said, smiling.

She wasn't sick.

He let his face stay rigid, though he was panicking slightly. Why was she making contact with him? Didn't he totally screw up the first meeting? What was he supposed to do?

Neji was so busy thinking that his mouth just opened and stayed that way.

Nothing came out.

She took that as a sign to continue, and reached into her bag and pulled out a package of blue and white plastic. "Um, so we've seen each other a lot," she began, ripping the bag open. "And you know, last time you asked if you could have a cracker. But I didn't want to contaminate you with my germs or anything, so I got you a pack too."

She glanced up at him, like she was waiting for a response.

Neji gulped.

She _had_ noticed him.

And she _didn't _loathe him.

She laughed and held up the package, wiggling it in the air teasingly. "I hope you haven't changed your mind…you haven't said much."

"I…I uh," Neji took a breath. "Yeah, I'd really like some. Thanks for the uh…crackers."

She slipped the bag into his hands, and he took out the first snack. She gazed at him intently, like she was waiting for his response. Aware that she was watching, Neji took a bite.

The crisp wafer melted in his mouth, salt dancing on his tongue, making him _so very_ thirsty, but also craving more. He stuck his hand in the bag again after he was finished, swallowing wholeheartedly. "That was really…tasty," he managed to say, actually quite surprised.

He took out another one and began nibbling on that too, careful not to get crumbs on his pants.

"They _are_ pretty good, right?" she mumbled, taking out her own crackers. "I eat them all the time. I know they might be bad for you in the long run, but I just can't help myself." She stuffed a saltine in her mouth, munching happily. "So, what brings you to the testing center? I mean, my parents are just sticklers for grades, so I'm forced to take these dumb tests all the time."

The girl was initiating a conversation.

He needed to respond in a way that wouldn't make him look like an idiot.

"I take these tests so I can see y—see my scores improve."

What a blatant white lie.

"Nerd."

"I am not. I just wish to get into a good school. Grades are important."

"Yes, but…"

"There is no 'buts' to the truth of that statement."

"Well, actually, I beg to differ."

They talked until it was time to begin the exam. And then they talked during break. And then they talked when it was time to leave, all the while snacking on saltines when they had the time.

It was finally time to part, and Neji had never felt so upset at leaving a conversation.

"Well, I'll see you later then," she said, waving goodbye.

"Yes, I'll see you soon," he said quietly.

She was already out the door when he realized he needed to ask her something important and rushed after her, yelling for the first time he had in years.

"What's your name?"

She turned around and yelled back, her bag of saltines dangling at her side. "I'm Tenten! And you?"

Tenten. That was a nice name.

"I'm Neji," he called back.

"That's a nice name!"

And then his mother pulled up in her car, and their talk was rudely interrupted. He would have to wait weeks, maybe months, before seeing her again.

And they had barely gotten to know each other.

oOo

When Neji got home, he took out the saltines, examining the packaging in hopes he would find out where she bought them. He had forgotten to ask, but knowing her name seemed more important at the time.

Then something caught his eye—near the barcode, written in black ink, was a phone number and a message.

_Let's stay in contact! _

That night, with wavering hands, he typed out his first message, punching in the numbers and rechecking over and over again to make sure he hadn't entered anything incorrectly. How was he to write a message to her? What could he say?

A flash of inspiration struck him, and he texted out a wavering two sentences.

_Hello, this is Neji. I'll bring the drinks next time._

She responded quicker than he had imagined, her reply filled with happy emoticons that he wasn't too surprised about.

_I'm looking forward to it!_

And so their second conversation began.

When Neji crawled into bed past midnight, he only thought one thing.

Life had never been so perfect.

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><p><strong>AWWW aren't they cute?<strong>

**LOL I'm loving this...I really wanted "Saltines" as a title of some sort, then this popped up. It was perfect. :)**

**R&R for the fluff :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hm. I churned this out approximately three minutes ago. Some people thought it wasn't a oneshot, sooo...**

**LOL this monstrosity turned up. But yes, the story will end here. I will let your minds think of what will come next. **

** AN: I don't own Naruto. Or saltine crackers.**

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><p>Oh, he was an odd one all right. He took tests like no other. She laughed about it when she knew he wasn't looking. Maybe they took them for different reasons (really! Her parents didn't have anything else to do?), but she always saw him, sitting in the classroom, taking those tests she hated so much.<p>

She nearly always chose a seat close to him, simply so she could observe him every now and then. He always did the same thing—check the clock approximately five minutes before the exam ended. He would furrow his brows on a tough question and bite his lip when punching in numbers on his calculator. She almost burst out laughing when his pristine exterior broke and he swore under his breath. He had dropped his eraser and knocked his funny bone against the desk.

He was odd.

But somehow, he made it more bearable.

It was like she had…

A friend.

You know, even if they hadn't said anything to each other.

Yet, Tenten reminded herself. The time would come when he would make the first move, and she would just follow along, and then they would become friends, and if she played along…

She sighed and set her pencil down.

She really _should _say something.

oOo

Most of the time, he was there before her, reading up on the material, sharpening pencils with methodical turns.

Most of the time, she just ate her saltine crackers. They were good. Why not? And maybe if the myth was right, her IQ would go up a few points.

With each crunch, a bit of the crumbs would litter the desk and she would absentmindedly brush them to the floor.

Tenten never liked the exams.

The mechanical pencil rule was utter blasphemy. The bathroom breaks were too short for her liking. And she hated it when the schools didn't have any signs (she had been late far too many times because she got lost).

He never seemed to have any bladder or directional or pencil problems.

Did he even know she was there?

She could only naively hope that their eyes just conveniently missed each other. Heck, she never even made _eye contact _with him. How could she possibly hold a conversation?

What did his voice sound like?

Tenten wanted so badly to smile at him or something.

Anything.

Tomorrow, she promised herself. I will say something tomorrow.

There was an exam—it was highly likely the guy would be there.

She was tired of waiting for him to make the first move.

If he didn't say something by tomorrow, she would take matters into her own hands.

oOo

That morning, she brought the largest pack of crackers yet for good luck. This wasn't just a normal test day. It was the day when she would _finally _get to say something to him.

Preferably without humiliating herself.

She arrived in the classroom early—one of the few times it ever happened. To her surprise, she was the first one. Looking around carefully, Tenten chose a seat near the window and began taking out her pencils. Out of nervousness, the pack of saltines was on her desk. She hastily opened it and ate a cracker. The salt calmed her nerves.

A creak of the door drew her attention, and her eyes followed the source of the noise. Tenten's eyes brightened. Good. He came.

The odd boy chose his seat near hers. The room was so quiet she could hear him exhale. He shifted his head slightly, eyes almost meeting hers. She saw his mouth open slightly.

And then he turned around again.

She let out a huff of disappointment.

It looked like he was going to say something.

Maybe she would have to wait a little more.

He was hunched over his desk, long hair covering his face. The books and pencils and calculator were out again, and his eyebrows were furrowed

Hm. Tough problem.

Tenten tried not to laugh. Did he ever stop studying?

Break time finally rolled around, concluding the first half of the exam. Tenten stretched her limbs which had grown stiff. Her back cracked a little. Then, she reached under her desk for the crackers stored there. She got up and went out into the hallway, stuffing the snacks into her mouth.

"I see you always have that as a snack."

The crackers almost fell out of her mouth. She looked up, and he was standing there, looking slightly flustered. Tenten was tongue tied.

Holy…never mind. His voice was too perfect to be described in words.

But even better—he had _said something._

The guy's eyes averted to the ground. Tenten hastily swallowed. Right. An answer about now would be good.

"I do. They taste really good."

Oh, why…why did her wit have to fail her at a time like this? She nearly slapped herself. Could she have sounded anymore patheti—

"Really? May I have one?"

He wanted one of her saltines. Her hand was already reaching for the bag to give him one when her mind stopped it. She couldn't give him something that had already _been opened_. Her germs—right. He wouldn't like that. Tenten looked in his eyes for confirmation.

He stared back, not blinking.

Oh. Wow. He had some really nice eyes…

It was so quiet; she could hear the plastic of the saltine bag crinkling. Her face was heating up.

She needed get away.

So, with a loud laugh, she packed up her crackers and ran, nearly laughing harder when she saw his stunned face.

Not a good first impression.

That thing about not humiliating herself? Terrible foresight.

oOo

The next time she saw him was before finals. She had brought him a bag of saltines. When she saw him, she tried to make eye contact, but he turned away, giving her the cold shoulder.

Tenten sighed. Men. So sensitive.

Well, sure, she had laughed—but it wasn't _at_ him by any means. Couldn't she try to explain her behavior? She attempted to make eye contact again, but he refused to meet her gaze.

She sat down, and gave a little cough to gain his attention.

His back stayed stiff.

Tenten tried again. "Aghrmff."

He was still ignoring her.

What did it take to start a conversation? With a deep breath, she decided to cough in the most obnoxious way possible, full of retching and hacking and choking sounds.

His voice finally greeted her ears. "You should get some water or something."

He thought she was sick. Tenten wanted to laugh again. That was cute. "So you finally talked again!"

He didn't respond as he finally looked at her, face tense.

Oh. He was probably still mad.

Well, now would probably be a good time to defend her actions. She reached into her bag and brought out his container of saltines. He was watching intently.

Tenten cleared her throat. "Um, so we've seen each other a lot."

Real smooth there. Fiddling with her hand out of nervousness, she opened the saltines for him. "And you know, last time you asked if you could have a cracker. But I didn't want to contaminate you with my germs or anything, so I got you a pack too."

She glanced up at him.

Would it be enough?

He still wasn't saying anything.

Good job, Tenten. What a great way to embarrass yourself.

Giving an awkward laugh in the silence, she held up the bag. "I hope you haven't changed your mind…you haven't said much."

"I…I uh…Yeah, I'd really like some. Thanks for the uh…crackers," he muttered, looking at her shyly.

So he didn't hate her. Smiling in relief, she slipped the bag into his hands. She observed him as she always did when he took out the first snack. He brought the cracker daintily to his lips, and took a bite.

Tenten held her breath. Would he like it as much as she did?

He chewed intently, contemplatively. Then, to her utter happiness, he reached for another one. "That was really…tasty."

"They _are_ pretty good, right?" she said, quickly grabbing her own crackers so that they could eat together. "I eat them all the time. I know they might be bad for you in the long run, but I just can't help myself."

Somehow, the crackers tasted so much better this time around. "So, what brings you to the testing center? I mean, my parents are just sticklers for grades, so I'm forced to take these dumb tests all the time."

"I take these tests so I can see y—see my scores improve."

How did that not surprise her? Tenten finally let her laugh out. "Nerd."

"I am not. I just wish to get into a good school. Grades are important."

"Yes, but…"

"There is no 'buts' to the truth of that statement."

"Well, actually, I beg to differ."

They had finally made contact. And he was charming. And intriguing. Tenten couldn't help talking to him throughout the remainder of the test time, never so engaged. They chatted through break until it was time to leave, still munching on the crackers she had brought.

It was finally time to part, and Tenten had never felt so upset at leaving a conversation.

"Well, I'll see you later then," she said, waving to the no-longer-a-stranger.

"Yes, I'll see you soon," he said quietly.

She turned on her heel and walked away, frowning. There was something she was forgetting. Something important.

His voice cut through the winter air.

"What's your name?"

That's what it was. It was like he had read her mind. She quickly turned around and yelled back, "I'm Tenten! And you?"

"I'm Neji," he called back.

Neji. That was a nice name. She took a breath of the chilled air to yell back her thoughts. "That's a nice name!"

And then her mother pulled up in her car, and their talk was rudely interrupted. Tenten crawled into the seat, buckling her seat belt and pouting.

"Why the long face?" her mother asked.

Tenten watched him disappear into the distance before she turned back to face her. "Nothing."

oOo

That night, Tenten had her phone by her side, checking it every few moments. Would he find it? That number that she had daringly written moments before she left home to take that test?

More importantly, would he take the initiative and use it?

She didn't know if she had the courage to breathe.

A buzz of her phone sent her heart jumping. Leaping on it, she checked the message with shaking hands. It wasn't from any number she had previously recorded. So that meant…

_Hello, this is Neji. I'll bring the drinks next time._

Her squeal echoed through the room. Her fingers typed out the first message that came to mind. Would he mind a smiley-face or two? Too excited to care, she sent it.

_I'm looking forward to it!_

And so their second conversation began and lasted past midnight.

Tenten crawled into her covers, nerves jittery. She knew the saltines couldn't calm them down this time.

Life had never been more perfect.

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><p><strong>And END. Thanks for reading Saltines!<strong>

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**Love, Ms. S**


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